Carp Baseball at the Zoom Zoom Stadium with Kids

Just booked our tickets for this friday's game at the new Mazda Zoom Zoom stadium- the pictures above are all from a game we went to at the original stadium across from peace park last year.

It was easy booking the tickets at Lawson convenience store. Apparently you can book on the CARP website but you need at least 2-3 days to finish the process. If you buy tickets at 7-11, you have to exchange your tickets at the front gate, but at Lawson, you can walk right in through the ticket gate.


We will be going with two elementary school aged kids and two kids not yet in elementary school. The adult tickets are \1,800 each but since we are sitting in the general seating (not assigned) "Ji-Yu" area, the kids in elementary school's tickets are only \800 and the younger kids are free (1 free child with a paying adult). If you choose more expensive assigned seats you have to pay per seat no matter what age they are.


The new stadium looks really big and impressive - we are all looking forward to enjoying a game there this friday- if you are free, bring the family and join us- we are in the general seating on the left in-field (2nd floor) area. Our kids (and me of course) are also looking forward to sampling lots of the carp foods like the "C" shaped carp doughnut :-)

To find out more about upcoming games, keep an eye on Gethiroshima/Events or look at the Carp website (in Japanese). See more details about the Mazda Zoom Zoom stadium here.

I want to be taller NOW

I want to be taller NOW
Originally uploaded by GetHiroshima

Everything at this age 2.5 seems to be about doing things on her own and extreme acts of kindness one minute are followed by sulking and then another change of mood and she is the performer who loves to make everyone laugh.

I don't remember this being as tough with our son, but maybe I have just forgotten. A good friend of mine who's son is only a couple of months younger is going through similar mood swings. She says it is still possible to distract him with a different toy or activity and when I tried that with our daughter it does seem to work most of the time.

For example, in this situation when she got upset because her older brother said she is not tall enough to swim on her own -it didn't seem to matter that she didn't WANT to swim alone, it was just the ideas that someone had said the word CAN'T that made all the difference. So when she paused from high pitched screams, I asked her brother to stand next to her and see how tall he was which seemed to soothe her at the moment.

This is not an age where she takes criticism of any kind well despite her favorite word with other people is of course "Nia-no" / Mine, and "Dam-e" / Don't you dare!

Ho-ozuki Matsuri- Chinese Lantern Plant Festival (Ushita)

The Ho-ozuki Matsuri ほおすき祭り

This is a festival held every year in the small suburb just outside the city center, Ushita. There are plenty of food stalls, Taiko drum performances, dance performances, rock bands, comedians and the whole main street is closed off to traffic.

We also get our family photos taken here every year, it is a nice marker to see how much the kids have grown since it happens just after our son's birthday.

This year the Houzuki Matsuri event is held on the 18th and 19th- kicking off from 6-10 pm on Saturday night and 6-9:30 on the Sunday night.
Try to get your picture taken with the Hozuki mascot- can't miss him with a giant chinese lantern blossom on his head. My kids are always too freaked out to get near him, but he is quite harmless :-)

Saturday Playdate at Family Pool

For some reason this Sunday is turning into a marathon of events for us- lets plan on meeting at the wonderful family pool from opening time till around noon on Saturday instead. The family pool is closed if there is heavy rain or lightning and thunder.

Sorry for the change of plans, but it is getting too hot and the family pool is only open for just over a month, so we want to make the most of it!

Hope you can join us for a few rides down the rainbow slide and a few rounds around the tide pool!

No Spanking For Us- Tickles and Time-outs instead

I have a couple of crazy kids and I love them, love them, love them- but of course they do drive me crazy sometimes- mostly because they are human. A good friend of mine had a big old fight with her man and he glared at her and said, "I just wish I could give you a time out!" 

I love that story, it shows how our relationships as parents (and as spouses that don't abuse each other) has really developed and grown up from the days of spanking and other modes of parental corporal punishment.

The last time my father spanked me, I was 6 years old and we were walking home in the rain and he said, "Don't splash other people when you jump in puddles" so I went away from the group and jumped in the biggest puddle I could find (totally insulated in all of my rain gear). He made his typical angry dad face and said, "You wait until you get home young lady" which I knew meant a spanking. I argued all the way home at the unfairness of the situation and how I thought he meant not to splash other people (which I hadn't) and had nothing to do with me splashing by myself. He wouldn't respond, but the angry dad face didn't go away. When we walked in the door, he tried to put me over his knee and I wouldn't let him, arguing my case still. He then tried to spank me and I blocked his arm. He then made contact and I turned around and hit him back as hard as I could. This surprised him and he said, I guess you are too old for spanking now- go to your room.

Now my father is not a bully, he is one of the most sensitive, kind and caring men I know, but he had always been raised to live by the rules of physical punishment as had my mother. This was the only way they knew. But I made a vow then never to hit my own kids and am so glad to have found a partner who agrees. 

We "punish" bad behavior by sitting our kids on the stair for a few minutes while we both cool off, then quietly talking about what happened and if they can't apologize, they go to bed early or lose TV or game priviledges. When its a light misdemeanor we tickle them as punishment. This actually makes them do it more most times since they love tickles, but I love hearing them laugh and it usually diffuses the situation and ends with a hug. 

Of course there are times when the devil himself or herself seems to take over your child and it takes a lot of will power not to resort to a spank, but I am always happier that I don't. I think it teaches kids that hitting is okay if people are bad and they are more likely to hit others if they feel frustrated. 

I was so happy when my son told me once that when his friend at school was being so naughty, he wanted to give him a good tickle!